AutoCAD 2009 Preview_Guide

The default application window includes the Menu Browser, Quick Access toolbar, InfoCenter, Ribbon, and Status bar.. Right-click menu options Quick Access Toolbar The Quick Access tool

Preview Guide

Contents

Introduction 3 

User Interface 3 

Application Window 3 

Menu Browser 3 

Quick Access Toolbar 6 

InfoCenter 6 

Ribbon 7 

Status Bar 8 

Quick Properties 9 

Quick View Layouts 11 

Quick View Drawings 12 

Tooltips 14 

Hidden Message Settings 16 

Design and Drafting 17 

Action Recorder 17 

Layer Management 18 

Working with DGN files 19 

DWFx Support 20 

Xref Clipping 20 

Interactive Array Preview 21 

Find and Replace 21 

Visualization 22 

ShowMotion 22 

New View/Shot Properties 23 

Lighting 23 

Geographic Location 24 

3D Navigation Tools 24 

Summary 27 

Introduction

With AutoCAD® software, Autodesk has just one goal in mind: increasing your productivity AutoCAD 2009 boosts efficiency with customizable and extensible user interface enhancements that increase overall drafting productivity by decreasing the number of steps needed to reach a command Newly designed, innovative features simplify working with layers and help make new users productive as quickly as possible Easy-to-use navigation tools make finding your way around 3D models a snap Move to new highs of productivity with AutoCAD software

User Interface

Application Window

The AutoCAD 2009 Application window has a new look and feel It provides easy access to the most commonly used tools while maximizing the drawing area The default application window includes the Menu Browser, Quick Access toolbar, InfoCenter, Ribbon, and Status bar Many of these user interface enhancements become even more valuable with a dual monitor configuration

The model space background has been changed to a default off-white color, enabling you to draw in model space with dark colors that you can see just as easily on the white paperspace layouts

Figure 1 AutoCAD 2009 application window

Ribbon

Menu Browser

Status bar

The Menu Browser displays a vertical list of the menus, emulating the menus that traditionally ran horizontally across the top of the AutoCAD window Selecting a menu from the Menu Browser expands the menu list, enabling you to launch a command

Figure 3 Menu Browser

A search tool at the top of the Menu Browser enables you to search the CUI file for key terms For example, as you begin typing L-I-N-E in the search field, AutoCAD dynamically filters the search options to display all CUI

entries that include the word line (Linetype, Command Line, Line, Multiline, and so forth) You can then

double-click a listed item to launch the associated command

Figure 4 Menu Browser search tool

In addition to command access, the Menu Browser enables you to view and access recently used or open documents You can display the document names with icons or with small, medium, or large preview images, making them easy to identify

Figure 5 Menu Browser document preview images

When viewing recent documents in the Menu Browser, you can display them in an ordered list or group them by date or file type Hovering the cursor over a document name automatically displays a preview image and other document information

Figure 6 Recent documents preview

In addition to recently used documents, the Menu Browser offers easy access to recent actions You can view a list of the actions you have recently selected and then select one to repeat it

Right-click menus within the Menu Browser offer additional controls, including the ability to pin a recent

document or action so that it remains on the list and the ability to clear the Recent Documents or Recent Actions lists

Figure 7 Right-click menu options

Quick Access Toolbar

The Quick Access toolbar is displayed at the top of the AutoCAD window, next to the Menu Browser It includes the most commonly used tools, such as New, Open, Save, Plot, Undo, and Redo You can add and remove tools with the Customize User Interface dialog box, which is accessible from the right-click menu You can also drag commands from the Command list onto the Quick Access toolbar The Quick Access tools, which are saved on a per-workspace basis, can be reorganized or removed by expanding the Quick Access Toolbar node under each workspace In addition to the option to customize the Quick Access toolbar, the right-click menu contains options that enable you to control the display of the menu bar and toolbars

Figure 8 Quick Access toolbar

InfoCenter

The InfoCenter has been enhanced in AutoCAD 2009 to provide more flexibility when searching for help You can expand the search field or collapse it to save space on the title bar And when searching the AutoCAD help system for a topic, you can specify which document to search, decreasing the amount of time you spend trying

to locate a topic

Figure 9 InfoCenter

Ribbon

The Ribbon, displayed near the top of the AutoCAD window, provides easy access to AutoCAD tools through a collection of tabs and panels Each tab contains multiple panels, and each panel contains multiple tools Some panels can be expanded to access additional tools

Figure 10 Ribbon

By default, the Ribbon is docked at the top of the AutoCAD window However, a right-click menu enables you to control the display and behavior of the Ribbon You can close the Ribbon and reopen it later using the Ribbon command Reduce the amount of space the Ribbon requires by disabling the Show Panel Titles option or by minimizing the tabs or panel titles

You can also emulate Dashboard behavior by undocking the Ribbon and anchoring it to the left or right

Figure 11 Ribbon title bar right-click menu

You can control the display of content within the Ribbon’s tabs and panels; just right-click to display the sensitive menu and turn tabs or panels on and off Easily reorganize ribbon tabs, or panels within the tabs, by dragging them to new locations You can even drag panels off the ribbon to create separate, floating panels And to customize the Ribbon still further, you can access the new Ribbon nodes in the Customize User

context-Interface dialog box

Figure 12 Ribbon content right-click menu

Status Bar

The AutoCAD status bar has been updated with new tools and icons The left side of the Status bar includes button toggles for familiar functions such as Osnap, Grid, and Dynamic Input A right-click menu enables you to easily switch the Status bar display from icons to traditional text labels and back The Quick Properties (QP) toggle is a new addition to the Status bar

Figure 13 Status bar toggles

The right-click menus for some status bar toggles include additional controls that are relevant for that particular toggle Easy access to these controls minimizes the need for you to access them in the Settings dialog box

Figure 14 Right-click menus for Snap, Polar, and Osnap

The Model and Layout buttons have been moved to the right side of the Status bar, where several new tools have also been added The Layout flyout has been replaced by the Quick View Layouts button, which is accompanied by the Quick View Drawings button The Status bar provides easy access to navigation and viewing tools, including Pan and Zoom, as well as the new SteeringWheels™ and ShowMotion™ functionality The Annotation Scale has been replaced with a Viewport/Annotation toggle that links the annotation scale to the viewport scale, helping to ensure that they stay in sync A new Workspace Switching button replaces the Workspaces toolbar, providing the same

functionality in considerably less space

Figure 15 Status bar tools

Quick Properties

The Quick Properties panel enables you to view and modify object properties when you need them, without sacrificing screen real estate You can turn on quick properties with the QP toggle on the Status bar When turned on, the Quick Properties window automatically displays an editable list of properties when you select an object If the list of object properties exceeds the length of the Quick Properties window, passing your cursor over the Quick Properties window automatically expands the window to display all the properties

Figure 16 Quick Properties window

A right-click menu enables you to control the behavior and display of the Quick Properties window If the Collapse option is disabled, the Quick Properties window maintains its full size The Location Mode option allows you to specify where to display the Quick Properties window Selecting Cursor displays it relative to the point you picked when selecting the object The Float option displays it as a floating window in the last place you positioned it The Docked option displays it as a panel in the Ribbon

Auto-Figure 17 Quick Properties location modes

Model Space Viewport Quick View Layouts Quick View Drawings

Viewport/Annotation Workspace Switching ShowMotion

Zoom SteeringWheel

The Settings option provides additional controls for the Quick Properties window through a new Quick

Properties tab in the Drafting Settings dialog box On the Quick Properties tab, you can specify whether Quick Properties is enabled and whether the Quick Properties window displays when any object is selected or only when those with defined quick properties are selected This option provides an alternate method for setting the location mode and enables you to specify direction and distance of the Quick Properties window relative to the cursor when Cursor mode is active Finally, using the Quick Properties tab, you can specify the default number

of rows that will be visible in a collapsed Quick Properties window

Figure 18 Quick Properties tab of the Drafting Settings dialog box

If multiple objects are selected, the Quick Properties window behaves similarly to the familiar Properties

window, displaying only the properties that are common to all selected objects A drop-down list enables you to select a specific type of object in order to display all quick properties for that particular object type

Figure 19 Quick Properties window with multiple object types selected

You can customize what properties are displayed for each object type in the Customize User Interface (CUI) dialog box, which is accessed using the Customize button in the upper-right corner of the Quick Properties window Clicking the Customize button displays the CUI dialog box with the new Quick Properties node already selected The right side of the dialog box displays two lists: the defined object types and the available object properties for a specified object type

Figure 20 Defining quick properties

You can add or remove object types from the object type list using the Edit Object Type button at the top of the list

Figure 21 Edit Object Type list

Quick View Layouts

The Quick View Layouts button on the status bar displays a horizontal row of Quick View Layout images This new functionality provides a faster and more visual alternative to using the traditional Model and Layout tabs to switch between layouts within the current drawing You can identify and select layouts, not only by name but by appearance Move the mouse past the edge of the image strip to view layouts that extend beyond the screen You can increase or decrease the size of the layout preview images by holding down the Ctrl key while rolling the mouse wheel up or down

Figure 22 Quick View layouts

Passing the cursor over a layout preview displays Plot and Publish buttons in the upper corners of the image Additional tools are available in the Quick View control panel, which is automatically displayed below the Quick View images Using these tools you can pin Quick View open so that it remains visible while you work in the drawing editor Then use the Close tool to turn off Quick View when you no longer want it displayed The New Layout button creates a new layout in the current drawing and displays the preview at the end of the row of images You can easily publish all the layouts in the drawing using the Publish tool

Figure 23 Quick View Layouts control panel

You can right-click a layout preview to display the familiar Layout menu options, including access to the Page Setup Manager A new option in the right-click menu enables you to export layout geometry to model space in a new drawing

Figure 24 Quick View Layouts right-click menu

Quick View Drawings

The Quick View Drawings button, on the Status bar, displays a horizontal row of Quick View drawing images This new functionality is a faster and more visual alternative to using the Ctrl+Tab key combination or the Window menu for switching between open drawings As with Quick View Layouts, you can move the mouse past the edge of the image strip to view images that extend beyond the screen You can increase or decrease the size of the drawing preview images by holding down the Ctrl key while rolling the mouse wheel up or down

Pin Quick View Layouts New Layout

Publish Close Quick View Layouts Plot

Publish

Figure 25 Quick View Drawings

Passing the cursor over a drawing preview displays Save and Close buttons in the upper corners of the image, enabling you to quickly save or close any open drawing, not just the current one Additional tools are available

in the Quick View Drawings control panel, which is automatically displayed below the Quick View images Using these tools you can pin Quick View Drawings open so that it remains visible while you work in the drawing editor You can use the Close tool to turn off Quick View Drawings when you no longer want it displayed The New button creates a new drawing and displays the preview at the end of the Quick View bar You can easily open existing drawings using the Open tool

Figure 26 Quick View Drawings control panel

When you hover the cursor over a Quick View Drawing image, preview images of all the layouts in that drawing, including model space, are displayed above the drawing images in a separate image bar You can easily view and activate any layout within any open drawing directly from the Quick View Drawing bar To see a larger view

of the layout images, simply pass the cursor over a layout preview image AutoCAD automatically enlarges the layout images and reduces the size of the drawing images Moving the cursor back over a drawing image returns the Quick View Drawing images to the larger size and the Quick View Layouts images to the smaller size

Pin Quick View Drawings New

Open Close Quick View Drawings Save

Close

Figure 27 Quick View Layouts images in Quick View Drawings

Tooltips

Improved tooltips in AutoCAD 2009 provide more information as you need it Tooltips are automatically

displayed when you pass the cursor over various tools The improved tooltips not only display the name of the tool but provide additional information, and even graphics, directly from the help system

Figure 28 ToolTip help

In addition to using command tools, you can control the content displayed in the tooltips for the External

References palette and the Sheet Set Manager: right-click the border of either palette, select the Tooltip Style option, and then choose to display a preview, details, or both preview and details When displaying a preview, you can specify a small, medium, or large image

Figure 29.Tooltip styles

If you pass the cursor over an item in the Sheet Set Manager or the External References palette, you can quickly preview the drawing geometry and detail information without selecting the item

Figure 30 Preview and Details tooltip